Arrest made in 2005 National City slaying

A man suspected of murder in the 2005 death of his girlfriend in her National City home has been found and arrested in Mexico, authorities said Monday.

Victor Hugo Sanchez

Victor Hugo Sanchez

Victor Hugo Sanchez

Victor Hugo Sanchez, 47, was brought back to the United States over the weekend and was booked into a San Diego County jail, National City police said.

On Oct. 24, 2005, family members Agapita Gonzalez found her body in her apartment on East 16th Street, west of Highland Avenue. They had been unable to reach her for two days.

The 36-year-old maintenance worker had obvious signs of trauma, National City police said.

Investigators zeroed in on Sanchez early on but learned that he had fled to Mexico, authorities said. Investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Sanchez and notified authorities in the U.S. and Mexico.

More than seven years later, on March 1, Mexican law enforcement officials called to say they had detained a man matching Sanchez’s description in Cozumel, off the Yucatan Peninsula.

Once his identify was confirmed, authorities made arraignments to extradite Sanchez to the United States. He was flown to Los Angeles, where National City detectives arrested him and brought him to San Diego.

According to jail records, Sanchez is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.